Press unloader



Dec. 19, 1967 M,IASHTON 3,358,851

PRESS UNLOADER Filed June 4, 1965 2 Sheds-Sheet l INVENTOR.

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Dec. 19, 1967 H. M. ASHTON 3,358,351

PRESS UNLOADER Filed June 4. 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y; ya f4 7; 24 if 25f; 74 74 A4 12 ,M /i

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United States Patent 3,358,851 PRESS UNLOADER Harry M. Ashton,Birmingham, Mich, assignor to Ashton Automation International, Inc.,Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed June 4, 1965., Ser. No.461,488 3 Claims. (Cl. 214-1) This invention relates generally to workstock handling apparatus and, more particularly, to a new and improvedapparatus for removing or unloading successive workpieces from a workstock forming press such as a punch press, stamping press, or the like.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved press unloader which is characterized by constructional andoperational simplicity.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved press unloader of the above character of an extremely compactdesign and which is easy to assemble and economical to commerciallymanufacture.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved press unloader of an extremely rugged and durable constructionand which may be readily adjusted to accommodate presses of varyingtypes and configuration, whereby successive workpieces may be removedfrom the press without any interference between the various fixedportions of the press and the workpieces.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved unloading press of the above character which is completelyautomatic in operation.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present inventionare achieved through the provision of a novel press unloader thatcomprises an elongated unloading arm which is mounted so as to bemovable from a position adjacent the work stock removing throat orcavity of a conventional punch press, stamping press or the like, to aposition spaced away from the press, whereby to remove successiveworkpieces from the press. The aforesaid unloading arm is provided withguide means for controlling the movement thereof, which means isadjustable in a manner such that the path which the workpieces aretraversed along may be varied to accommodate various installationconditions and presses of various types and configurations. A particularfeature of the present invention resides in the fact that the path whichthe successive workpieces traverse lies entirely above the level atwhich workpieces are initially engaged within the press, therebypermitting the workpieces to be removed from the press without anyinterference with any of the fixed portions of the press, such asfixedly mounted dies or the like. The unloading arm is provided withmeans adapted to automatically grip the successive workpieces whenengaged therewith, which means is also adapted to automatically releasethe workpieces after they have been traversed along the aforesaidpreselected path, whereby the workpieces may be conveyed to anassociated process line, tote box, bin or similar means for transportingthem to another work station or the like. The press unloader of thepresent invention is characterized by extreme simplicity in constructionand operation and is therefore easy to install, operate and maintain.

A more complete understanding of the press unloader of the resentinvention and other features thereof will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, partially broken away, of anexemplary embodiment of the press unloader of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged transverse cross sectional view taken along theline 22 of FIGURE 1, and

3,358,851 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 FIGURE 3 is an enlarged transversecross sectional view of the press unloader illustrated in FIGURE 1,taken along the line 33 thereof.

Referring now to the drawings, a press unloader, generally designated bythe numeral 10 and constructed in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, is shown as comprising an elongatedunloading arm 12 which comprises upper and lower end sections 14- and16, the former of which is movably secured between a pair of verticallyextending, spaced parallel side plates or members .18 and 20 in a mannersuch that the lower end section 16 of the arm 12 may be biased to andfrom a position adjacent the work stock removing throat or cavity of aconventional punch press, stamping press or the like, to etfect removalof successive Workpieces from the press subsequent to a punching,stamping or other operation which the workpieces have been subjected to,as will later be described.

As best seen in FIGURE 1, the side members 18 and 20 are of identicalconformation and are defined by parallel vertically extending forwardand rear edges 22 and 24, downwardly inclined lower edges 26,horizontally extending upper edges 28 and upwardly and rearwardlyinclined front edges 30. The side members 18 and 20 are secured to eachother at their upper and forward edges 28 and 22, respectively, by meansof a pair of generally T-shaped spacer members 32 and 34 which extendlaterally between the mutually confronting sides of the members 18 and20, the spacers 32 and 34 being rigidly secured to the members 18 and20" as by welding or the like. Another spacer bar 36 extends laterallybetween and is rigidly secured by welding or the like to the confronting sides of the side members 18 and 21 adjacent the rear edges 24thereof.

The upper end section 14 of the unloading arm 12 is preferablyconstructed of fiat elongated and uniformly thick metal stock and ismovably supported between the side members 18 and 20 by means of twopairs of rollers 38 and 40 that are mounted on the opposite sides of theupper end section 14 and are rotatably or slidably disposed within apair of guide channel assemblies 42 and 44 that are mounted on theinboard sides of the side members 18 and 20, as will be described. Asbest seen in FIGURE 3, the pair of rollers 38 are mounted on theopposite ends of a cylindrical shaft 46 which extends laterally througha wntral opening 48 that is formed near the top of the upper end section14 and is rotatably supported by a pair of antifriction sleeve hearingsor bushings 50 and 52 that are secured as by welding or the like to theopposite sides of the section 14. The rollers 38 are slidably disposedwithin the guide channel assembly 42 which comprises a pair of identicalchannel members 54 and 56, each of which consists of a backing plate 58and a pair of spaced parallel guideways 6t} and 62. The channel members54 and 56 are secured to the inboard sides of the side members 18 and 20in lateral and vertical alignment with one another by means of aplurality of suitable screws, bolts or the like 64. The guideways 60 and62 of each of the channel members 54 and 56 are spaced apart a distanceslightly larger than the diameter of the rollers 38 such that when therollers 38 are disposed between the guideways 60 and 62, as illustratedin FIGURE 3, the upper end of the unloading arm 12 will be verticallyslidable therewithin, as will be apparent.

The pair of rollers 40 are operatively mounted adjacent the lower end ofthe upper end section 14 of the unloading arm 12 in substantially thesame manner as the rollers 38 are mounted on the upper end of thesection 14. In particular, the rollers 40 are mounted on the oppositeends of a laterally extending shaft 66 which is rotatably supported by apair of antifriction hearings or bushings 68 and 70 that are similar tothe aforementioned bushings 50, 52 and are secured as by welding to theopposite sides of the arm 12. The rollers 44 are slidably disposedwithin the guide channel assembly 44 which comprises a pair of identicalchannel members 72 and 74, each consisting of a backing plate 76 and apair of spaced parallel guideways, generally designated by the numeral78. The channel members 72 and 74 are substantially identical inconstruction to the analogous members 54 and 56 of the assembly 42, withthe exception that the guideways 78 of each of the members 72,. 74 isrigidly secured to its associated backing plate 76, as by suitablescrews, bolts or the like (not shown) and that the backing plates 76 aremovably or adjustably secured to the inboard sides of the side members18 and 29. More particularly, the lower and rearward ends of the channelmembers 72 and 74 are pivotably secured to the inboard sides of themembers 18 and 20, respectively, by suitable bolts, pivot pins or thelike (not shown). Accordingly, the upper anud forwardmost ends of thechannel members 72, 74 are free to pivot to the positions shown inphantom lines in FIGURE 1 about a common laterally extending axisextending through the lower ends of the channel members 72 and 74. Theforward ends of the channel members 72, 74 are adapted to be adjustablysecured to the side members 18 and 20 in any one of various positionsshown by means of suitable screws, bolts or the like (not shown), whichextend transversely through suitable openings in the members 72, 74 andthrough the various series of openings 80, formed in the side members 18and 20 and thereby function to selectively control the operationalmovement of the unload ing arm 12, as will later be described.

Means for selectively biasing the unloading arm 12 between its variousoperative positions is achieved by a piston and cylinder assembly,generally designated 82, which is of a conventional design and comprisesa cylinder 84 within which the upper end of an elongated piston rod 86is reciprocably mounted. The assembly 82 is preferably pneumaticallyactuated and is supplied with pressurized air from a suitable source asis commonly available in factories and the like. The assembly 82 ispivotably mounted on the press unloader by means of a pair of pivotpins, bolts or the like, generally designated 88, as seen in FIGURES 1and 2. The pivot pins 88 extend transversely inward from the inboardsides of the side members 18 and 20 at the forward edges 22 thereof. Asseen in FIGURE 2, suitable sleeves or collars, generally designated 90,are provided on the pins 88 between the opposite sides of the cylinder84 and the inboard sides of the side members 18 and 20 to limit anylateral or transverse movement of the piston and cylinder assembly 82relative to the members 18 and 20. As seen in FIGURES l and 2, the lowerend of the piston rod 86 is pivotably connected to the forward edge ofthe unloading arms upper end section 14 by means of a conventionalbifurcated clevis member 92 which is threadably or similarly attached tothe end of the rod 86 and is pivotably connected to the end section 14by a suitable pivot pin or the like 94. Accordingly, upon actuation ofthe piston and cylinder assembly 82, the piston rod 86 will move axiallytoward the cylinder 84, pivoting the lower end of the unloading arm 12upwardly along a preselected path, as will later be described.

An elongated generally C-shaped guard 95 extends around the forwardmostand upper end of the piston and cylinder assembly 82, as best seen inFIGURE 1. The guard 96 comprises a pair of spaced parallel side portions98 which are interconnected at their forwardmost ends by a transverselyextending web portion 100, the guard 96 being rigidly secured to thepress unloader 10 by having the lowermost ends of the side portions 98rigidly secured as by welding or the like, to the side members 18 and 20adjacent the edge portions 30 thereof. The guard 96 prevents work stockbeing transported in the vicinity of the unloader 10 from inadvertentlyengaging and possibly damaging the piston and cylinder assembly 82, aswill be apparent.

The lower end section 16 of the unloading arm 12 is generally tubular incross section and is secured at its upper end to the lower end of theupper section 14 by a suitable screw, bolt, or the like, 102. The lowerend section 16 is provided with a work stock engaging jaw assembly,generally designated 104 that is of a conventional design and comprisesinterengageable jaws 106 and 108 which, when appropriately engaged withan edge portion of a workpiece, will be automatically cammed to theclosed position illustrated by the dotted lines in FIGURE 1. The jawassembly 104 also comprises a piston and cylinder assembly 110 which ispreferably pneumatically energized and is adapted to be actuated toselectively advance and retract the jaws 106, 108 to and from theposition illustrated in dotted lines where the jaws 106, 108 engage theedge of a workpiece in a manner well known in the art.

The jaw assembly 104 is mounted on the lower end of a cylindricaladjustment rod or shaft 112 which is telescopically mounted within thelower end of the tubular end section 16 of the unloading arm 12. Theshaft 112 is provided with a rack 114 that is adapted to cooperate witha spur gear 116 in the conventional manner for varying the axialposition of the assembly 104 relative to the lower end of the unloaderarm 12. A suitable handle 118 is provided on the gear 116 to facilitaterotating the gear 116 and adjusting the axial position of the shaft 112and assembly 194 relative to the anm 12.

The press unloader 10 of the present invention is adapted to bedetachably secured to the stamping press or the like with which it isoperatively associated by means of a pair of generally invertedhook-shaped members, generally designated 120, which have their forwardedges secured as by welding or the like to the outboard sides of theside members 18 and 20 adjacent the rear edges 24 thereof. The members120 are adapted to be hooked over the upper edge of the crown of thepress, generally designated by the numeral 122. A hearing plate 124 maybe secured, as by welding or the like to the lower end of the crown 122for engagement with the transversely extending spacer bar 36, wherebythe unloader 10 is operatively maintained in the substantially verticalorientation illustrated in FIGURE 1.

Assuming that the jaw assembly 104 has been adjusted to a preselectedlongitudinal position along the unloading arm 12, an exemplaryoperational cycle of the press unloader 10 of the present invention isinitiated upon energizing the piston and cylinder assembly 110, wherebythe jaw assembly 104 will advance to the position indicated by thedotted lines in FIGURE 1. As the assembly 104 advances, the jaws 106,108 are cammed closed upon engaging an edge portion of the workpiecewhich has been previously subjected to a stamping, punching or similaroperation within the press. At such time as the jaws 106, 108 aretightly engaged with the workpiece, the piston and cylinder assembly 82may be energized, for example, upon actuation of suitable automaticcontrols or by actuating suitable manual controls on an associatedcontrol panel or the like. Upon energization of the assembly 82, thepiston rod 86 will move axially toward the cylinder 84, thereby biasingthe lower end of the unloading arm 12 upwardly and forwardly away fromthe press. As the lower end of the arm 12 moves upwardly, the pair ofrollers 40 slide upwardly and forwardly within the channel members 72,74 and simultaneously, the pair of rollers 38 slide upwardly within thechannel members 54, 56. It will be seen that the arm 12 is movablysupported within the channel assemblies 42, 44 and by the piston andcylinder assembly 82 such that the lower end thereof moves along a pathwhich is always spaced vertically above the immovable bed or fixed dieof the press, thus Preventing y inte f re ce between the press and thework stock being unloaded therefrom. At such time as the lower end ofthe arm 12 reaches a predetermined position, for example, the positionindicated by the phantom lines in FIGURE 1, the jaws 106, 108 willrelease the workpiece, which workpiece may then be transported to asuitable conveyor line, tote box, bin, or equivalent receptacle fortransporting the workpiece to another work station or the like. Afterthe jaws 106, 108 have been released, the piston and cylinder assembly82 may be deenergized, thereby permitting the lower end of the unloadingarm 12 to be pivoted downwardly and rearwardly to the position indicatedby the solid lines in FIGURE 1. As the arm 12 is thus traversed to theaforesaid position, the piston and cylinder assembly 110 is deenergized,thereby retracting the jaw assembly to its position indicated by thesolid lines in FIGURE 1, thus completing the operational cycle of theunloader and preparing the various component members thereof for thenext successive cycle, as above described.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the presentinvention provides a novel press unloader of an extremely simple designwhich is therefore easy to assemble and economical to commerciallymanufacture. A particular feature of the present invention resides inthe fact that the channel assembly 44 may be easily adjusted to vary thepaths which the lower end of the unloading arm 12 follows as it isbiased away from the associated press by the piston and cylinderassembly 82, whereby to accommodate different presses and, moreparticularly, dies of different types and configurations, thuspermitting the unloader 10 to remove successive workpieces from a widevariety of diiferent types of presses without any interference betweenthe presses and the various workpieces being unloaded therefrom. Anotherfeature of the press unloader 10 of the present invention resides in thefact that it is relatively small in the lateral dimension, therebyenabling it to be operatively installed in a minimum amount of space.Still another feature of the present invention will be seen from thefact that the press unloader 10 comprises very few moving parts, therebyminimizing component replacement and maintenance time and accompanyingexpense to a minimum.

While it will be apparent that the exemplary embodiment hereinillustrated is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, itwill be appreciated that the press unloader 10 of the present inventionis susceptible to modification, variation and change without departingfrom the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a press unloader, a pair of vertically extending spaced parallelside members, an elongated unloading arm disposed between said sidemembers and comprising upper and lower end sections, first and secondguide channel assemblies disposed between said side members, each ofsaid assemblies comprising a pair of channel members secured one to theinboard side of each of said side members, each of said channel memberscomprising a backing plate and spaced parallel guideways, the channelmembers of said first assembly being laterally aligned and extendingvertically along said side members, the channel members of said secondassembly being laterally aligned and extending forwardly land upwardlyalong said side members, a first pair of rollers journal supported onthe upper end of said upper section of said arm and slidably disposedwithin said first channel assembly, a second pair of rollers journalsupported on the lower end of said upper section of said arm andslidably disposed within said second channel assembly, a piston andcylinder assembly comprising a reciprocable piston rod, said lastmentioned assembly being pivotally connected between said side membersadjacent the forward edges thereof, said piston rod being pivotallyconnected to said arm whereby actuation of the said last mentionedassembly biases the lower end of said arm along a preselected path froma first position adjacent the press to a second position spaced awayfrom the press, and clamping means secured to the lower end of said armdetachably engageable with work stock within the press.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein one of said guidechannel assemblies is adjustably secured to said side members forvarying the position of said path relative to the press.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said path lies entirelyabove the lower end of said arm when said arm is disposed in saidposition adjacent the press.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,766,573 6/1930 Westin 21412,823,710 2/1958 Angel 74-104 X 2,929,499 3/1960 Turner 2141 X 3,040,6856/1962 Ridley 214-1 3,053,399 9/1962 Armbrust 214--1 3,080,983 3/1963Blatt 2141 3,243,237 3/1966 Sprecher 3083.8

ROBERT G. SHERIDAN, Primary Examiner.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, GERALD M. FORLENZA,

Examiners.

1. IN A PRESS UNLOADER, A PAIR OF VERTICALLY EXTENDING SPACED PARALLELSIDE MEMBERS, AN ELONGATED UNLOADING ARM DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID SIDEMEMBERS AND COMPRISING UPPER AND LOWER END SECTIONS, FIRST AND SECONDGUIDE CHANNEL ASSEMBLIES DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID SIDE MEMBERS, EACH OFSAID ASSEMBLIES COMPRISING A PAIR OF CHANNEL MEMBERS SECURED ONE TO THEINBOARD SIDE OF EACH OF SAID SIDE MEMBERS, EACH OF SAID CHANNEL MEMBERSCOMPRISING A BACKING PLATE AND SPACED PARALLEL GUIDEWAYS, THE CHANNELMEMBERS OF SAID FIRST ASSEMBLY BEING LATERALLY ALIGNED AND EXTENDINGVERTICALLY ALONG SAID SIDE MEMBERS, THE CHANNEL MEMBERS OF SAID SECONDASSEMBLY BEING LATERALLY ALIGNED AND EXTENDING FORWARDLY AND UPWARDLYALONG SAID SIDE MEMBERS, A FIRST PAIR OF ROLLERS JOURNAL SUPPORTED ONTHE UPPER END OF SAID UPPER SECTION OF SAID ARM AND SLIDABLY DISPOSEDWITHIN SAID FIRST CHANNEL ASSEMBLY, A SECOND PAIR OF ROLLERS JOURNALSUPPORTED ON THE LOWER END OF SAID UPPER SECTION OF SAID ARM ANDSLIDABLY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SECOND CHANNEL ASSEMBLY, A PISTON AND CYL-